Boat structure, including wheel mount and air tank chambers



Oct. 18, 1955 J B QBANNON 2,720,662

BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS Filed 001;.29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 8

John B. 0 'Bannon INVENTOR.

BY WW Anomqs Oct. 18, 1955 J. B. O'BANNON 2,720,662

BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS Filed Oct.29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 John B. O'Bannon INVENTOR.

BY M mq,

Oct. 18, 1955 OBAN NON 2,720,662

J. B. BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT AND AIR TANK CHAMBERS FiledOct. 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J oh n B. 0 'Bannan IN V EN TOR.

BY my 3% United States Patent BOAT STRUCTURE, INCLUDING WHEEL MOUNT ANDAIR TANK CHAMBERS John B. OBannon, Pampa, Tex., assignor of forty percent to Bruce L. Parker, Pampa, Tex.

Application October 29, 1952, Serial No. 317,433

3 Claims. (Cl. 9-1) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in boat structures and the primary object of the presentinvention is to provide a boat structure involving novel and improvedwheel mounting means so that the boat structure may be applied to atowing vehicle and hauled to a desired location.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a boatstructure having a false bottom that is divided into a plurality ofcompartments or chambers that receive air filled cans for the purpose ofadding to the buoyancy of the boat structure.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide boat structureincluding vertically slidable wheel supporting slides with novel andimproved means for selectively retaining the slides raised and lowered.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a boat structurehaving a hollow U-shaped forward end portion that will accommodate aplurality of air filled containers or tanks increasing the buoyancy ofthe boat structure while adding to the stability thereof.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a. boatstructure of the aforementioned character that is extremely simple andpractical in construction, strong and reliable in use, compact instructure, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which thesame is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present invention andshovw'ng the ground wheels in their raised position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational View of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on theplane of broken section line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing the ground wheel inits lowered position;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the planeof broken section line 8-8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially onthe plane of section line 9-9 of Figure 6;

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of Figure 7 showing the mannerin which the slides are retained in their lowered position;

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view of the outer portion of one ofthe slides and showing a stub axle attached thereto;

Figure 12 is a perspective of the outer portion of one of the slides;and,

Patented Oct. 18, 1955 Figure 13 is an enlarged detailed verticalsectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 1313 ofFigure 7.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral 10 represents the boat structure generally havinga socket 12 at its forward end which is capable of being engaged over aball hitch element (not shown) on a towing vehicle. The sides 14 of theboat structure 10 are provided with vertical slots 16 at their rearportions that receive the relatively parallel flanges of forward andrear angle iron guide strips 18 and 20. The outer flanges of the strips18 and 20 are secured to the sides 14 and against the outer faces of thesides 14 by fasteners 22.

A vertical guide or tube 24 is secured to each side 14. The guides 24are provided with spaced attaching flanges 26 located on opposite sidesof vertical slots 28 in the guides that register with slots 16. Theflanges 26 are secured against the inner faces of sides 14 by thefasteners 22.

Slides 3!) are slidably received by the guides 24 and the strips 18 and20. Each slide 30 includes an inner tubular portion 32 and a flat outerportion 34. The portions 32 and 34 are removably secured together byfasteners 36. Portions 32 are vertically slidably received in the guides24 and the outer portions 34 are vertically slidably received betweenthe strips 18 and 20 and in the slots 28, as shown in Figure 9.

The lower off-set ends 38 of the outer slide portions 34 are formed withhorizontal apertures 40 that receive fasteners 42 securing stub axles 44to the ends 38. Preferably pneumatic ground wheels 46 are mounted on theaxles 44 and will be raised and lowered with their associated slides 30.

Guides 24 are provided with upper and lower transversely extendinghorizontal apertures 48 and 50. A removable pin 52 is received in eitherthe upper or lower apertures in each guide 24. The guides 24 receivecoil springs 54 which engage the upper ends of the slide portions 32.The springs 54 are disposed under the pins 52 when the latter arelocated in the apertures 50 with the slides 30 in their lowered position(Figures 7 and 10) in order to yieldingly urge the slides downwardly andfor cushioning upward movement of the slides as the wheels 46 move overirregular or rough surfaces.

Slide portions 32 are formed with horizontal apertures 56 at their upperends that will receive the pins 52 when the pins are extended throughthe apertures 48 with the slides raised (Figure 6) in order to lock theslides and the wheels raised as shown in Figure 1.

Means is provided for selectably raising and lowering the slides 30.This means comprises an open bottom casing 58 secured over each guide 24and to the transverse transom member 60 extending between the sides 14.Each casing 58 rotatably supports upper and lower horizontal shafts 62and 64 that are connected together by gears 66. The inner ends of shafts64 project into the interior of the boat structure 10 and fixedlysupport crank handles 68, whereas the outer ends of the shafts 62project outwardly from the casings 58 and fixedly support spools ordrums 70. The upper ends of flexible elements 72 are fixed to the drumsand the lower ends of these elements are attached to eyes 74 secured tothe slide portions 34.

When the pins 52 are removed from the guides 24, the crank handles 68may be rotated to either raise or lower the slides 30 and the wheelsattached thereto. After the slides 30 have been raised, the pins 52 areextended through the apertures 48 and 56 to retain the slides and wheelsraised, and after the slides are lowered, the pins 3 52 are extendedthrough apertures 50 over the springs 54 to retain the slides lowered.

' 'Bo'at structure includes a bottom wall 76 to which are fixed theupper reinforced edges of spaced parallel,

' longitudinally extending, vertical partition walls 78.

The lower edges of the partition Walls 78fixedlysupport T-s haped rails80. The horiiontal platforms 8'2 which extend between adjacent partitionwalls 78 include bottom rails 84 that rests upon the rails 80 ofadjacent partition' walls. Compartments '86 are defined by adjacentpartition walls, the bottom wall 76 and the platforms '82.

Air sealed cans 88 are disposed in the compartments 86. with theirbottoms resting on platforms 82 and with their upper ends engagedagainst the reinforcing strips 90 at the upper edges of adjacentpartition walls.

Doors 92 are provided at'the rear ends of the cornpartments 86 and thesedoors may be individually opened so that cans in a selectedeompartment'may be removed by removal of the platforms 82 to which thecans are suitably secured, as by cement or the like.

The two innermost parallel partition walls 94 and 96 do not hav'e'aplatform disposed therebetween since the propellerlshaft (not shown) ofthe boat structure is to extend between these walls, and as the walls 76is to be provided with drainage apertures 98' over the space between thewalls 94 and 96, it being noted that bottom wall 76 will-be above thesurface of the water so that water entering the boat structure may drainthrough apertures 98.

The forwardend portion of theboat structure 10 is provided with a,hollow U-shaped portion 100 whose rear stepped ends 102 form stepswhereby persons may ascend or descend from the boat structure. Thehollow portion 100 may be provided with doors 104 at its forward or rear7 ends whereby cans 88a may be inserted into the portion 108 is mountedon the boat 10 adjacent the deck portion 106 and extends rearwardlytherefronn An awning 110 extends rearwardly from the wheel housing 108and over-' lies the rear portion vof the boat 10. The awning 110'may besecured at its forward end to the wheel housing 108 l by means of cables112 which are attached to hand-grips 114 secured to the wheelhousing108. A plurality of supports 116 extend upwardly from the stern118 of the boat 10 and support the rear end of the awning 110. Suitable,supports 120 extend upwardly from the sides 14 of the boat to supportthe sides of the awning 110.

. What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a boat structure having sides whose rear portions are eachprovided with a vertical slot, vertical guide strips secured to thesides and disposed in the slots, a vertical guide secured to the innerface of each side, said guides each having a vertical slot in registrywith theslots in said sides, a pair of slides each having inner andouter portions that areremovably secured together, said inner portionsbeing slidable in said guides and said outer portions extending throughthe slots in said'sides and being slidably engaged with said guidestrips, a stub axle fixed to the outer portion of each slide, a groundwheel on each axle for supporting the rear end of the boat structurewhen the slides are lowered in the guides, means for This means maycomprise suitably seal selectively retaining the slides raised andlowered in the guides, and means connected to the slides for selectivelyraising and lowering the slides.

2. In a boat structure having sides whose rear portions are eachprovided with a vertical slot, vertical guide strips secured to thesides and disposed in the slots, a vertical guide secured to the innerface of each side, said guides each having a vertical slot in registrywith the slots in said sides, a pair of slides each having inner andouter portions that are removably secured together, said inner portionsbeing slidable in said guides and said outer portions extending throughthe, slots in said sides and being slidably engaged with saidguide'strips, a' stub axle fixed to the outer portion of eachslide, aground wheel on each 'axle for supporting the rear end ofthe boatstructure when the slides arelowered in the guides, each of said guideshaving an upper horizontal aperture and a lower horizontal aperture, apair of retaining pins received in either the upper or lower apertures,and a coilspring in each guide over the inner portions of the slides andadapted to be engaged under the pins to yielding1y urge the slidesdownwardly when the pins are disposed in said lower apertures, saidinner portionsof said s'lid'eseach having a horizontal aperture forreceiving the pins when the slides are raised retain the slides raised.

3. In a boat structure having sides whose rear portions are eachprovided with a vertical slot,'vertical guide strips. secured to thesides and disposed in the slots, a vertical 7 guide secured to the innerface oi each side, said guides each having a vertical slot in registrywith the slots in said sides, a pair of slides each having inner andouter portions that are removably secured together, said inner portionsbeing slidablein said guides and said outer portions extending throughthe slots insaid sides and being slidably engaged with said guidestrips, a stub axle fixed to the outer portion of each slide, a groundwheel on' each axle for su porting the rear end of the boat structurewhen the slides are lowered in the guides, each of said guides having anupper horizontal aperture and a lower horizontal aperture, a pair ofretaining pins. received in' either -the upper or lower apertures, and acoil springin each. guide 'over the inner portions of the'slides andadapted to be "engaged under: the pins to 'yieldingly urge the slidesdownwardly when the pins are disposed in' said lower apertures, saidinner portions of said slides each References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATESPATENTS I 1,067 Francis 1.. a Jan. 11, 1839 642,622Mulie et al. Feb. 6, 1900 1,355,937 Brosnan Oct. 19, 1920 1,809,306Miller June 9, 1931 1,944,185 Langer Jan. 23, 1934 2,049,702 Howe Aug.4, 1936 r 2,115,864 Livermon May 3, 1938 2,190,091 Wolfe Feb. 13, 19402,190,358 Henn'chsen et al. Feb. 13, 1940 2,21l,083 Smith Aug. 13, 19402,283,648 Sarndahl May- 19, 1942 2,444,231 Sanford Q June 29, 19482,500,602 Christensen Mar. 14, 1950 2,622,893 Wasserlein Dec. 23,1952 72,632,655 King et a1. a Mar. 24, 1953 and when the pins are disposed inthe'upper apertures to

